Contemporary Ceremonial Objects

Material is central to my art form. I strive to use Earthen materials in my work. Mostly hand-gathered alabaster as well as marble, granite, wood, bone, hide, seed. It is a physical avoidance of the abstract and conceptual. I do not seek to represent in my work. My agenda is process oriented. To be with material in the process of bringing it to its highest level of integrity. To create beautiful form which is the product of that dance between two beings, the beingness of the stone and the mindfulness of my hands. Then, the relationship expands into a triad, the user/collector becomes a participant in the dance.

Industrial production interrupts the relationship between the three participants. By turning the object into a reproduced representation of a concept, its preciousness is lost. I don’t measure in my work. I don’t start from a block or geometry, but the shape and character of each piece of material I work.

From childhood I have been fascinated and formed by the power of objects. Collections of small shapes, precious treasures, pet rocks, sentimental bolts. Objects themselves assume and are imbibed with the energy and intentions of their makers and users. Ket ancestor dolls in Syberia. The shofar and menorah. Lingam Stones.

The majority of my work explores the vessel form. Simple. Archetypal. It is one of the foundational forms that we have been making forever. You could make a bowl a day for a life and never repeat yourself. I enjoy the confines of a form to explore variation.

Alabaster is translucent. It has always been used to carry light. My pieces become ceremonial vessels. Keeping the fire is a most ancient tradition. Lit by candle, each bowl becomes a gravitational force in a dark room, warming the space. They take on a shimming warmth and quiet stillness. They are participatory works, wanting to be held, lit, moved. The work finds its home in altar spaces, sanctuaries and sacred spaces as often as providing a beautiful decorative centerpiece to a room.

Alabaster is the evaporative of the ancient inland oceans. It is a young stone whose story begins along the same timeline as that of human beings. It is warm, soft, and translucent. I carve it because it has a heart feeling and energy unparalleled by other stones. It is a healing stone.

While meditating with the Alabaster, a person expands the ability to forgive others and even themsleves. Alabaster inspires positivity when it is used at home. It is a “drawing” stone meaning it has the ability to draw things to you or to draw things away from you, depending on what your needs are. It works wonderfully for drawing things of theSpirit to you, White alabaster summons the spiritual. Because alabaster is so soft, it does best with a sun’s cleansing. It can also draw forgiveness, whether it be you that needs self forgiveness or the ability to forgive someone that has done you wrong. It also draws energy from other stones as well, meaning you can “soak” up the energy of one stone and have the properties of both stones with you while only carrying the alabaster. It helps to draw anger out of a person and to release it.